QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER
SpringMomentum DrivesYouth Apprenticeship SuccessAcrossOur Region
Springisalwaysoneofthe mostexcitinganddemanding seasonsfortheNortheast WisconsinYouth Apprenticeship(NEWYA) Consortium,andthisyearhas beennoexception!
RegionalHiringEvents ShowcaseStrong Demand
Ahighlightofthespringseason isalwaysourregionalHiring Events,andthisyear’sseries showcasedthestrengthofour partnershipsandthegrowing demandforYouth Apprenticeshipopportunities
NEWYAhostedeventsacross NorthernDoorCounty,Sturgeon Bay,BrownCounty,Kewaunee County,ManitowocCounty, WashingtonCounty,and SheboyganCounty Whilethe SheboyganCountyeventwas impactedbyalate-season snowstorm,studentsstillhad theopportunitytoshare resumeswithparticipating employers ensuring connectionscontinueddespite thedisruption
StudentSpotlight:ColtonBlackley
WeareproudtohighlightColtonBlackley,whoseachievements representtheverybestofYouthApprenticeship
Coltonwasnamed:
NortheastWisconsinManufacturingAllianceYouth ApprenticeshipStudentoftheYear DoorCountyEconomicDevelopmentYouthApprenticeship StudentoftheYear
Asaweldingapprentice,Coltonsetanambitiousgoalto masterpipeweldingoneofthemostadvancedand challengingskillsinthetradeThroughfocus,discipline,and countlesshoursofpractice,hesuccessfullypassedmultiple industry-levelpipeweldingtestsafeatthatwouldchallenge evenexperiencedadultwelders
Hismentorsdescribehimasa“once-in-a-generation”talent, notingnotonlyhistechnicalabilitybutalsohisworkethic, professionalism,andcommitmenttocontinuouslearning. Coltonhasalreadybegunhelpingtrainnewemployeeswithin hisorganizationanuncommonroleforahighschoolstudent
Aftergraduation,heplansto continuefull-timewithhis employer,withopportunitiesto contributetoprojectsacross thecountryandbeyond
Hisjourneyreflectsthepowerof YouthApprenticeshipto preparestudentsnotjustfor theirfirstjobbutforlong-term careersuccess
WrappingUptheYear,Preparingfor What’sNext
Astheschoolyearwindsdown,ourteamofSchool-BasedYouth ApprenticeshipCoachesarefullyengagedintwocriticalefforts: supportingthesuccessfulcompletionofthisyear’sstudents whilesimultaneouslypreparingthenextgrouptobegintheir journey.
Withmorethan2,000studentsenrolledthisyear,coachesare workingcloselywithstudentsandemployerstocompleteendof-yearevaluations ensuringeachparticipantreflectsontheir growth,skilldevelopment,andworkplaceexperience
Atthesametime,thefocushasalreadyshiftedforward CoachesareactivelyonboardingthenextcohortofYAstudents, helpingthemexplorecareerinterests,prepareforemployment, andconnectwithmeaningfulopportunitiesforthesummerand upcomingschoolyear.
ThePowerofPartnership: Employers&Mentors
Weareincrediblygratefultothemany employerswhoparticipatedinthisyear’sevents. Theirwillingnesstoinvesttime,mentorship,and opportunityintoourstudentscontinuestodrive thesuccessoftheYAprogram Feedbackhas beenoverwhelminglypositive,withmany employersexpressingappreciationforthe qualityofstudentcandidatesandstronginterest inreturningforfutureevents.
Wealsoextendaspecialthankyoutothe mentorswhosupportstudentseachdayonthe job Throughregularfeedback,guidance,and encouragement,mentorsplayacriticalrolein helpingstudentsdevelopbothtechnicalskills andessentialemployabilitytraits Their commitmenttransformsajobintoameaningful learningexperience
StrongStudent EngagementAcross theRegion
Thelevelofstudent engagementacrossthe regionwasimpressive TheBrownCountyevent alonewelcomedover 200students,with SturgeonBayalso exceeding200 participants.Additional strongturnoutsincluded morethan100students inbothManitowoc CountyandKewaunee Countyhighlightingthe continuedgrowthand interestinYouth Apprenticeship opportunitiesacross NortheastWisconsin
Theseeventsprovided studentswiththe opportunityto: Explorecareer pathwaysalignedto theirinterests
Practiceprofessional communicationand networkingskills
Interviewdirectly withlocalemployers Takethenextstep towardsecuring Youth Apprenticeship placements
Formanystudents,this wastheirfirst experiencenavigatinga professionalhiring environmentandthey rosetotheoccasion
ThisQuarterinPictures
Thisquarter,ourworkhasspannedarangeofmeaningful,hands-onexperiencesand strongpartnershipsthatcontinuetoexpandopportunitiesforstudentsandemployers alike.
Studentssharpenedtheirskillsthroughmockinterviews turningpreparationinto performanceinasupportive,low-stakesenvironmentwheretheygainedconfidence, refinedtheirprofessionalpresence,andlearnedtocommunicatetheirstrengthswith clarity
WealsocelebratedtheeducatorswhomakeYouthApprenticeshipsuccesspossible, invitingstudentstorecognizetheteachersandcounselorswhohaveshapedtheir growthandpreparedthemfortheworkplace.
Atthesametime,ourNEWYASteeringCommitteeremainedactivelyengaged, collaboratingwithstafftoguideprogramstrategyandensureimpactful,high-quality outcomesforbothstudentsandemployers
LookingAhead
Whilefinalplacementnumbersarestillbeingdeterminedasemployerscontinuetheir hiringprocesses,earlyindicatorspointtoanotherstrongyearofstudent-employer connections.
ThisspringseasonisapowerfulreminderofwhatmakesYouthApprenticeshipso impactful:meaningfulconnections,real-worldexperience,andacommunity committedtodevelopingthenextgenerationoftalent
Aswecelebratetheaccomplishmentsofthisyear’sstudentsandlookaheadtothe nextgroup,weareproudtocontinueexpandingopportunitiesandstrengtheningthe workforcepipelineacrossNortheastWisconsin.
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